Burden
by Greeny-Lemons237
Summary: Sixth year has finally arrived and already, emotions are high. With the return of He Who Must Not Be Named, everyone is nervous for their safety. Harry Potter has his suspicions of the notorious Draco Malfoy and Hermione is out to find his hidden secret. Follow the Golden Trio and others through their journey as they discover themselves and if they will follow the right path.
1. Chapter 1

**(AN) : So there are so many things I forgot to type before I posted this. This will be the third time I've edited this chapter because I forgot to add things! Sorry, I'm excited for this fanfic and I really hope that people read and like it. This is my favorite book/category. Harry Potter is my life and childhood. People tell me that I should've grown out of Harry Potter already, and gotten addicted to something like Hunger Games or Divergent. I'm like "Pssshhh…who gives a shit?" I really like those books, but Harry Potter is my ultimate top favorite book, like many others. **

**Anyway, this is my first Harry Potter fanfiction. I've always been nervous about making one, because I didn't want to mess it up and I thought that I didn't sound English or something. Well, I made it and I probably did both of those things. This entire story isn't all just me, though! You may notice as you read it that it's kind of a mix of point of views that seem kind of choppy. I promise I'll fix them when I can. But, my point was that I made this story with my friend Angelena on another website and we continued through posting back and forth bits of the story, switching off. It's not chapter by chapter, but continuous out through the entire chapter and chapters. So, I credit her for making this story too! **

**Lastly, before you get to the actual story, I hope that you will review and favorite the story! It would really make my day. I got PMs from a couple people for another fandom that I felt comfortable writing for a long time ago and it encouraged me to write the Harry Potter fanfics. So, thanks to them this is up. (I don't know if they do like HP in the first place, though). PLEASE REVIEW! I will love you forever. This story will hopefully grow into a long chapter novella or something. I know that I will always look forward to that when I'm looking for some HP fanfiction to read. I would like to specifically point out one writer, mayarox95, for inspiring me. Her story Where the Line Blurs, is amazing and I loved it. I read it last year and loved the idea of having Draco switch sides throughout the war. This story will have a similar turnout, but I promise that I will not copy or anything. Different things will happen. Next, the disclaimer!**

**Disclaimer: I promise that I will never own Harry Potter or any of the book characters because I will never be as talented as J.K. Rowling. She truly is amazing and I love her. The only thing I own, along with Angelena, is what goes on in the story 'cuz we wrote it!**

Shuffling his hand deeper into his sleeves, Draco Malfoy hung his head between his shoulders as he took a seat among his usual group of friends. They were all chattering happily, unaware of what he was truly up to. They had asked, prodded and poked at him for any information, but he merely snapped at them. With one glare of a true Slytherin, he was able to shut them up and pull away from them. Blaise had his arm around Daphne's waist as she attempted to make him feed on something besides the chicken legs on the plate before him. He truly ate like a pig.

On the other side of the table, Pansy giggled as she nudged Theo's shoulder when he tried to sneak in a snog at the dining table. Crabbe and Goyle had situated themselves the farthest away, drooling a bit as they feasted upon their meals. The two sleazebags couldn't even acknowledge the conversation that happened before them.

His stormy gray eyes peered from his nearly empty plate at the Gryffindor table across from him. He couldn't even conjure a scowl as his eyes marked upon the bushy rat's nest that was the mudblood's hair, along with Scarface, and his moronic sidekick Weasel. Though he hated them so much, it didn't match the hatred he felt for the snake that marked his left forearm.

His hand conspicuously rubbed up and down his forearm underneath the dining table. He was already getting sick of the warmness that spread across his left forearm whenever it came in contact with anything.

For instance, the other day when Draco had been passing by some muggleborn Hufflepuff, his arm had brushed against the child's robes, sending an intense burn through his arm. It was as if the Dark Mark could sense when a muggleborn was nearby. He still didn't know how exactly to feel about that at the moment. His views upon muggleborns had been instilled him since childhood. One couldn't just get rid of such thoughts in an hour.

But of course, the old buffoon, Dumbledore, believed that the school just needed unity. Especially now that the Dark Lord was at large, Hogwarts needed to be combined as a whole even more greatly. Draco rest his arms flat against the Slytherin table in the Great Hall, hardly paying any attention to the flat out annoying conversation happening next to him.

"What the hell is it?" He finally snapped as Pansy spoke his name for the third time.

"You were sitting on Daphne's robe and she wants to get up." The other Slytherin obviously had been taken aback by her friend's snapping, but didn't display it. Every Slytherin knew that the most important thing was to conceal their emotions completely and appear indifferent to everything and everyone.

His expression sobered some before he sneered at the dark haired girl, snatching the end of Daphne's robes and tossing it away from him. He was earned some scowls, but paid no heed to it all. He had much more important things to be worrying about besides hurting his friends' feelings.

His eyes forcibly moved from his scurrying friends as they settled again in their seats at the table to the tables across from his. He couldn't help but return his eyes to previously buck toothed mudblood Granger. Imagine his surprise when he found her staring right back at him. His lips curled back in a sneer, his grey eyes daunting as his hand immediately went to his wand, ready to stalk out of the Great Hall.

His eyes remained on the bushy haired Gryffindor for much more time. Really, it was longer than it needed to be done. He had probably been staring at much more obviously now.

He felt a prod on his shoulder again and found that it was Blaise this time. He was staring at him with a scrutinizing glance, his features ruffled in accusation as he parted his lips to berate his best mate. He knew what was going to come out of this. Draco was the one who always had to deal with everything in the first place. Being both a Death Eater and the Slytherin Prince didn't come easily. He would have a busy school year while attempting to complete his task.

"What is it, Blaise?" His voice lowered to an annoyed mutter.

"You keep staring at Granger." Blaise muttered back. "I know you can easily lie to everybody else, but don't even try lying to me, Draco. I know you better than you know yourself." The dark skinned boy intelligently reprimanded him, squaring his shoulders in a way that would keep his body as a shield to the other Slytherins. They could converse without having the interruption of the others listening into their conversations.

"It's nothing...I'm just trying to find some motivation." Draco nodded his head, a weary expression falling on his face. It was really already overwhelming him. He would have a lot to do by the time that Bellatrix wanted him to. The cabinet wasn't going to fix itself. It had been his idea anyway and now that he had proposed it, he would have to go through with it and fix it all up. Thankfully, he was one of the smartest wizards at Hogwarts behind the teachers and Granger. This would be no problem for him, hopefully.

"Well, tell me if you ever need some help." Blaise mustered a smirk. "You know, I'm always there for you when you need me." His best friend continued. Draco merely nodded, giving his friend what he wanted in the end. There really wasn't anything he could do to convince him anyway otherwise. It wasn't up to him. Blaise really just was too stubborn to think any other wise.

He couldn't stand being in that room any longer. It was beginning to feel nauseating for him. All those people around him...it was possible that after he did what he was supposed to do, all of those kids would be dead. It was a possibility. One that actually was very great.

He didn't know if he was supposed to feel happy and relieved for it, or to be disgusted and fearful. He knew what he had to do. There really was only one option for him now. Even the Order wouldn't take him in because he had been branded with the Dark Mark.

Of course, they didn't know that because then his position at Hogwarts would have been compromised. There really was just no way that he could go to the Order without being found out by either side. On one side of the war, Voldemort and his Death Eaters would kill him for failing them. And on the other side, Draco would be locked up in Azkaban for eternity by the Order.

"I think I'm going to take a walk. Clear my head a bit." Draco muttered to Blaise quietly, finding a bit of a tremor in his voice. Fixing his haggard appearance, he rose from the table. His pale hand brushed over his face as he felt sweaty and clammy all over. With one quick look to the Head Table where Dumbledore sat amongst all the other teachers, he quickened his pace and stalked out of the Great Hall.

He hadn't even noticed that he had walked out just after Potter and Granger. His feet moved quickly across the floors of the magnificent castle of Hogwarts, seeking refuge in the closest place that he could. His breathing quickened immensely, leaving him nearly choking on air as he found himself in an empty hallway. He chortled slightly, ripping his robes off of his body and harshly throwing them at the wall. His whole body was shaking and he couldn't bring himself to stop as he threw his wand out at the first sound he heard.

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Rubbing his freckled nose as his sister pointed out the dirt on his nose once again, Ron Weasley rolled his eyes at the conversation at the Gryffindor table. Dumbledore's Army, or what they called the remaining active members of the DA, had gathered around the Boy Who Lived who was frowning down at his hands.

His palm covered the ruined potions book he had been forced to use when Ron took the last new copy. He found that his best mate had been a bit obsessed with it, carrying it around everywhere that he went. Ron had even tried to snatch it out of his grip and hand it off to Ginny, but he would not budge!

And now this. He had been telling him and Hermione of his assumptions about the notorious Draco Malfoy since their sixth year started. Just because he had been browsing in Borgin & Burkes didn't mean that he was a Death Eater.

"Let it go, Harry." He moaned, grabbing another chicken leg from the platter before him. He had already eaten a few, but had room for so much more. "The ferret can't even hold his own in a wand fight. How exactly is he supposed to be working for You Know Who?" His voice lowered a bit as he named the villain that had vowed to kill his best friend.

An aggravated huff came from the boy in the circular glasses and the unruly black hair that barely covered the pink lightning bolt scar on his forehead. It was in between his eyes and was hard not to notice. But after knowing him for six years, he found it easy to ignore unlike the first day that he had met him on the Hogwarts train and Platform 9 3/4.

"Ron, I know how it looks, but...even Hermione said that there's something off about him. I mean look how different he looks." Harry's emerald eyes turned to the pale boy across the Great Hall with the incredibly noticeable platinum colored hair that fell in his eyes.

Hermione had been looking over at the Slytherin boy while her friends discussed his affiliations, taking in little things about him with her analytic eye. Her gaze flicked back to Harry when her own name was mentioned. "Well, yes, I agreed that there's something off about him, but—"

"That's entirely usual." The youngest Weasley interrupted, looking as if she was resisting the urge to roll her eyes. Everyone knew how much she despised Malfoy. She seemed genuinely interested in what Harry had to say, though… Well, maybe she was just interested in him in general. Of course she didn't believe his accusations, though! As dreadful as Draco Malfoy was, he couldn't truly be working for Voldemort.

With a great sigh that blew a strand of auburn hair out of her eyes, the studious Miss Granger continued. "That's beside the point." She sounded a little frustrated, but she had never been _angry_ with Ginny, per say. Hermione, however, had other things that were agitating her. Like how she had been reading over her new textbooks and found she could retain no information from them. These courses were the most difficult ones she had ever taken! The potions made no sense whatsoever, but at least Professor Snape wouldn't be there to give her a concussion if she got the answer wrong. No, the Slytherin headmaster would be moving to Defense Against the Dark Arts this year…which seemed like a completely different _adventure_.

"Harry, you're probably just really stressed out right now with all that's going on. But it doesn't seem logical for a Death Eater to be enrolled in Hogwarts." Her tone dropped a little and she leaned slightly across the table so that she would not be overheard. Hermione then straightened, running a hand through her frizzy red hair in a futile attempt to keep it manageable. "Who knows? He could just be having relationship troubles." For a moment, it didn't seem like she was talking about the Slytherin at all. There was a certain bitterness in her voice, but it vanished in an instant.

Much to Hermione's relief, Ginny chimed in. No doubt the younger Gryffindor realized her dilemma. "What ever happened to him and Pansy? I haven't seen them snogging in the halls in a long time." There was a light lilt to her words that made it obvious that she was trying to bring some brightness to the otherwise gloomy atmosphere. Hermione appreciated that greatly. "Wait, Parkinson is with Theo now, isn't she? Or did it change again…?"

"Why do you know so much about everyone's personal life?" Hermione looked as if she might have smiled, provided circumstances were different. It seemed there never were too many smiles these days, besides the ones Ginny forced to cheer everyone else up. It was just so hard to be happy when an evil wizard was out there plotting to kill everyone you loved…

Ginny flashed a wicked grin. "Know thy enemy, Granger…." Her eyes drifted to Harry, the smile fading to a soft one. "Are you all right? Harry, maybe you should just let it go for now."

A scowl that could imitate the subject of their conversation settled on Harry's lips. He was irritated about it all. Dumbledore himself was sending him a few mixed signals. Supposedly, he was going to have some private lessons with him soon, and it was eating him alive. What was he going to be learning with him? He knew that it had everything to do with the defeat of Voldemort, and the prophecy that included himself and the Dark Lord.

And it was his entire fault, that his godfather, Sirius Black, got killed that night in the Department of Mysteries. If he hadn't rushed over there, Voldemort would have never gotten the chance to hurt him and his friends, figure out the prophecy, and get his godfather killed. If he hadn't gone, Sirius would still be alive. Everything was his fault. Every single thing that was going wrong now was his fault. Voldemort and his Death Eaters were killing all of those people because they really just wanted to unhinge Harry and sober him up before viciously killing him and everyone he loved.

"It doesn't matter! Dumbledore can't exactly just deny a wizard the right to come to Hogwarts." Harry's hand hit the table a bit roughly, attracting the eyes and ears of nearby students. "I mean...you know what we saw at Borgin and Burkes. What else could he be showing? He put out his left arm, Hermione. What logic can you come up with now?" He questioned her a bit harshly, overwhelmed by everything.

"Woah, mate. Calm down, will you?" His red haired best friend frowned, his shoulder nudging him lightly. His mouth had a bit of sauce coating the sides as he finished off another leg and setting the meatless bone on the side of his plate. "Hermione's right. Come on, she's always right." He shrugged his shoulders carelessly in her and his sister's direction. "You know what?" He prompted, his dark blue eyes lighting up as he came up with some master idea.

The dark haired boy sighed heavily, slumping his shoulders as he turned to face his friend, ready for whatever bizarre idea he had come up with. "What?" Harry muttered in response, finding it hard to pay attention to his friends now that his thoughts were occupied on so many different other things.

"If we used the Marauder's Map tonight and you dad's invisibility cloak...and we followed Malfoy around, I bet we won't find anything suspicious about the ferret." He proposed, turning away from his food for one second to explain his idea. "The girls are right. He's probably just going to be slugging around with some girl in one of the broom closet now that Parkinson left him for Nott." He snickered a bit at that, his eyes flickering over to the blonde haired boy across the Hall before returning to Hermione and Ginny. "I don't even understand how you find these things out, Ginny." He sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"Well, not all of us are social pariahs, Ronald." Ginny said, easily taking jabs at her older brother. After all, she was fairly popular. As the twins put it, she was too popular for her own good. It seemed that Ginerva Weasley had blossomed recently, becoming a fairly agreeable young woman and overcoming her shyness around Harry. It was like she had already become the person she was meant to be. Hermione wished she could say the same thing. But unfortunately, she was struggling a lot with her identity at the moment. It was hard to be a hormonal teenage girl when the world was crumbling around you.

Harry grumbled a bit, knowing that the points that his friends were making were actually very good points. "Okay, okay, fine. We'll do that, then." He gave in to their demands outwardly. It didn't matter though. He would do his own research on his own time. "I'm fine, Ginny. I promise." He muttered to her earlier question as she attempted a smile at him.

But then Ginny frowned slightly, disappointment passing through her eyes for only a brief moment before she regained her composure. She crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at the Boy Who Lived. It was obvious she didn't believe him, but all Ginny did was reply back with an echo, "Fine."

The feeling returned. It felt like she was being burned alive. Hermione held Draco's wicked gaze for only a moment, a moment that had been caused solely by her pride, but then averted her eyes once more. A fleeting thought passed through her mind: _Is an evil glare one of the characteristics that is used to chose Slytherins, or do they all have to learn it once they are already sorted?_

Hermione's attention was soon stolen away by her dark haired friend once more as he slammed his hand down on the table, making her jump slightly. The Gryffindor girl was quiet for a few moments, letting Harry and Ron talk things out. She felt like an outsider for a moment. What kind of friend was she? She knew that she should take Harry's side, that she should stand with him in his time of need… But it just seemed so farfetched. Draco Malfoy? A Death Eater?

Hermione sighed, studying Harry for a moment. "If you need to, you know, _talk_ about any of this, Harry…" She edged, because being the female friend meant being the council in many situations. After a moment of silence, Hermione sighed once again. Why couldn't they all just sit and talk things out? Honestly, it was ridiculous! "I just don't think it would be wise to jump to conclusions yet, especially after what all just happened. He could have been showing anything. And if he really were working for You Know Who, why would he be wasting his time being educated here? It just doesn't make sense…" She shook her head.

"In any case, don't take it out on us. We're you're friends, Harry. We're just trying to help you." They had been through everything together, but it seemed that they had been fighting more and more lately. Her eyes then went to Ron, though they stayed there for only a moment before she looked away.

"Ronald, that's not…a bad idea, actually. But it would be reckless to follow him around…" Though she couldn't give an example of how the plan could go wrong, Hermione knew there had to be one. Ronald Weasley never came up with foolproof ideas. "Just be careful."

A scowl settled across the red head lips, his cheeks brightening to color of a tomato. He really had had enough of his younger sister embarrassing him in front of his friends, who were her friends as well. It really wasn't fair. He didn't like the way she would treat him in front of him. But she was right.

She had become extremely popular as she rose through the years. And the only reason people knew him was because he was the best friend of the Boy Who Lived. He scowled at the thought, feeling the green envy pick at him again, but rolled his eyes and returned to the conversation. "Come on, my ideas work sometimes!" He protested, but was really having a hard time thinking up of one.

"Are they ever not?" Ginny smirked in Hermione's direction.

"They never are!" Hermione actually smiled slightly, much to Ginerva's pleasure. Then, her gaze fell on Harry again. Her eyes softened and her voice became gentle as she then spoke. "Harry…I know you're going through a rough time right now. If you need us…we're here. It isn't your fault, Harry. You can't keep blaming yourself."

Harry slumped his shoulders, staring down at the book in his hands once again. It really was helping him. He knew one of the spell's in there though from somewhere before though. He just couldn't pinpoint it. Something Snape told him...Levicorpus. Of course! It was in the memory that he had seen when practicing Occlumency with him. It had backfired and he had seen his own father cast the spell on Snape when they attended Hogwarts. Was this book his father's then?

"Yeah...look, I think I'm going to head back to the common room. Slughorn's assigned us a foot long about Essence of Dittany." Harry muttered to his friends, ignoring what they were saying. His mind was set now. He would figure this all out, he decided. He would avenge Sirius, and his parents, and Cedric. Everyone would be avenged when he defeated Voldemort. And that started with Draco Malfoy.

He shuffled his feet towards the Gryffindor common room, elated that for once his friends actually weren't seeking him out when they were worried for him. He could see what they reacted like when they were around him. He was just spoiled fruit amongst all of them and it was hard for them to deal with it. Everyone else had really moved on. He was still stuck in the past. Because he was the stupid Boy Who Lived.

If he could live, why couldn't he save everyone he loved? He lost all of his family! No parents and no god father. Who would he lose next? Ron? Hermione? The entire Weasley family? He couldn't bare to lose them all. So, his only choice was to exclude the people he loved out of his plans to destroy Voldemort. Harry Potter seated himself in one of the lounge chairs of the Gryffindor common rooms, his eyes searching through the Half Blood Prince's Potions book through his circled glass, his eyes rereading over and over the spell Sectumsempra. There was a warning underneath._ Use against enemies._

His eyes were still on her. Hermione could feel them burning into her skull no matter how hard she tried to ignore it. She found it nearly impossible to concentrate on the subject at hand when someone was glaring at her. Of course, Hermione tried to think logically. She denied that he was looking at her. Maybe his sneer was directed at Harry or someone passed them all. Maybe it was just his natural expression? Was it possible that he knew they were talking about him? No, that was impossible...right?

Hermione opened her mouth as if to add something, but Harry was already leaving. Her face visibly fell, as did her spirits. Had Harry even been listening to her? They were supposed to be best friends, all three of them, so why were things so complicated now? The bushy haired witch mumbled something unintelligible under her breath before catching sight of the red headed girl beside her. Ginny's eyes trailed after Harry, looking disappointed and very concerned. Hermione placed a gentle hand on her younger friend's shoulder reassuringly before saying,

"Don't worry. He'll be okay, Ginny."

The Weasley's eyes snapped up in surprise. "What? I - " she stuttered, but Hermione had already started talking again.

"I should probably be going too, actually. I - I need to get some studying done and...yeah." She mumbled. Hermione stood up from the table, a book in her arms. She never went anywhere without something I read. "I'll talk to you later, Ginny... You too, Ron." She mumbled the last part, already starting off. Hermione didn't want to talk to Ron at all right now. Mainly because of Lavender Brown. It was only natural for her to be territorial about her friends, right? It wasn't like she was jealous. It wasn't like Ron meant anything to her...

As they faded away from hearing distance, Hermione barely heard Ginny remark, "Don't even start, Ronald!" She knew the freckled faced girl was probably smirking, trying to look confident while her cheeks were ablaze.

"I can't believe this." Ron scowled at his sister as he was left by his two best friends to feast alone. She was giving him the same look the mother of the Weasley clan gave to nearly all the boys in the family when they began to pig out on all the food that they choked down. "Out of all the people, I'm here with you." He wrinkled his nose.

His expression quickly faded as a figure dropped down on the seat next to him. "Oh, Lavender. I haven't seen you since last year." Ron quickly greeted, a bit confused but he bizarre and sudden introduction to the curly blonde haired girl that roomed with Hermione.

Ginny rolled her eyes at her elder brother. "Don't worry, I won't torment you for long. In fact, I should probably be going..." She muttered, averting her eyes as she saw Lavender approaching. She was so bloody annoying! And Ginerva's brother was so oblivious! Of course, she was a little biased. Her and Hermione had gotten closer recently.

Ginny saw the signs that the other Gryffindor was sending to her brother. Perhaps she would have stayed and scorned Ronald more if it weren't for the worry biting at the back of her mind. "Uh, hello Lavender. I'm just going to go...meet up with Dean." She said hastily, rising from the table and gathering her things. Ginny wouldn't stand to be a third wheel for longer than necessary.

Ron's eyebrows raised high on his forehead as his sister hastily moved around the Gryffindor table and gathered her belongings, hurriedly whisking away to meet with her boyfriend. A scowl settled across his lips. Dean Thomas was his friend and his roommate, but he was also dating his sister. And he didn't like that at all, not one bit.

He didn't like anyone that was interested in his younger sister like that. None of them were good enough for her. Certainly, Dean wasn't. Okay, he was a good guy and all, a part of the DA, but he shouldn't be dating his sister. "So, what did you do over the summer?" The red head eventually asked the blonde next to him, perching his arm on the table as he settled another chunk of meat in his mouth. It was a surprise really that Lavender was ignoring his messy eating, yet still adored him.

But she did not leave to see her boyfriend. No, Ginny made her way instead to the Gryffindor common room, concerned for the well being of her brother's best friend. Plus, it seemed that there was something growing between them, something Ginny couldn't explain.

"Well, what do we have here?" She raised an eyebrow, tossing her books on a nearby end table in the Common Room. "The Chosen One, the Boy Who Lived, studying like any normal teenage boy?" She shook her head with a teasing tsk sound of her tongue. Then, Ginny sat across from him in another chair, a table and an eternity separating them.

On the other hand, Hermione just needed to get out of the Great Hall, needed to have some time to herself. So that was exactly what she did. Hermione bolted to the halls, her auburn curls bouncing behind her as she escaped down corridors. She couldn't go to the common room, for that was where Harry was. So where was she to go? Hermione eventually found herself sitting on a window seal in one of the halls, looking down at the courtyard. An opened book sat in her lap, but she paid little attention to it.

**So, that's the end of chapter one! I hope it was good. I might change the title(no, I will change the title). It seems kind of vague and doesn't really match, but I'll figure it out. So, I guess I can leave with read and review? Please? I love everyone of you that reads this! PM me if you want to know more, or if you have any ideas for titles.**

**~Cobra**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N) : So, thanks for all the people who read the first chapter! Here is the second one, and I'm hoping that more people find the story. Please, tell me if you liked it or not! I would really appreciate some criticism and input from someone. And if anyone wants to beta the story, please message me! Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: I will never ever own Harry Potter…*sobs* But thanks to the amazing Angelena, and myself, we can own this plot and continue our Dramione dreams!**

_Just get over it. You have studying to do!_ But Hermione couldn't get the thoughts out of her head. Anyone with eyes could see the way Lavender threw herself at Ron, and Hermione feared that Ron might return her affections... But Hermione just thought Ron deserved better, that Lavender was bad news! It wasn't a personal matter and Hermione wasn't jealous. At least, that was what she kept trying to tell herself. It seemed that she was growing farther and farther apart from her two best friends. Harry wouldn't let her help him with anything anymore and, to be honest, she had some hard feelings towards him because of how well he was doing in potions. Wasn't _she_ supposed to be the smart one of the group? Hermione was beginning to feel like she no longer had a place among them at all.

Just as she had started to read over her potions book and distract herself, the muggle born witch heard someone coming down the hall. They probably wouldn't notice her at all due to the fact that she sat in a little alcove. If she stayed silent, they would simply move on and she would be left to her solitude. But, being the curious young lady that she was, Hermione couldn't help but glance over when she saw dark fabric soaring through the air out of the corner of her eye.

She never expected to see the subject of their recent murmurings standing in the middle of the hallway, his robes carelessly discarded on the ground. Draco's expression shocked her so much that the potions book slipped from her hand, landing on the stone floor with a clacking sound. Hermione froze before jumping to her own feet, drawing her own wand in a fence dive position in response to him. Every since last year, that reaction had become instinctive. Panic welled in her chest. Had she seen something she wasn't supposed to? Could Harry have been right? What was wrong with Draco?

Were her burning cheeks visible?

Never had the frizzy haired muggle born expected to see such a display from one of the people she hated most. And she couldn't get over how torn his expression had looked just a moment ago. She must have been imagining it. Maybe...he was just ill? Or maybe this was someone else using a poly juice potion to look like Draco! Or maybe...the latter was a little farfetched.

Hermione let out a sigh once the panic had left and she realized she had nothing to fret over. It was only him, normal Draco Malfoy that had nothing to do with You Know Who. She crossed her arms, wand still in hand. "You're going to get us _both_ in trouble, Malfoy!"

He was shaking with aggravation and anger, furious that someone had been around him when he was like this. The feeling was overwhelming and he didn't know why he was even acting like this in the first place. Of course, it had everything with the letter that he had received earlier that morning in the mail when his dark shaded owl, Ferrol, had gracefully landed on the Slytherin table of the Great Hall.

Many other students had received their own mail from their own parents, asking how their first few days at Hogwarts had gone and whether they needed anything from home. He recalled in earlier years, his mother would send him a large woven basket of sweets of every kind. He remembered that she specifically sent his favorite candies from Honeydukes just because his father always reprimanded him for eating them. It was one of the more candid memories he had of his family.

But that had really changed since the summer. His family had become darker over the summer, forced to do things that some are absolutely disgusted by. Draco remembered the evening that it had all occurred. The pain still lived in his nightmares every night. The ever hanging presence of failure lured itself in his mind, creating fear for any future mistakes. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes. No, not with the task that he had. He should have probably gone up to the Room of Requirement already and found the Room of Hidden Things. He really needed to work on the Vanishing Cabinet before time began to run out. Because, he really was on a time limit. Who knew how long it would take before Dumbledore caught onto his plans? Or really, what he had really happened to him during the summer break.

His eyes punctured the being across from him with a sneer, unbelieving of the fact that he could have already been caught. He hadn't quite done anything yet, so his position hadn't really been compromised as of now. There had been no Dark Magic thrown around, nor had he said anything out loud that could have been eavesdropped on. All that had happened was that he threw his cloak roughly on the floor. But now, there was someone just a few meters away, having had seen anything. He stepped forward, finding light shed on his face, but the figure across from him was held in the dark. Squinting his eyes, he found that the imposter was none other than Scareface's pet mudblood, Granger.

But he wasn't even sure if that was what she was anymore. A mudblood or a muggleborn?

His wand shook a bit in his hand as if he were reluctant to actually cast a spell. What was he going to do when the other wizard at his wand point was Dumbledore? How could he ever defeat one of the most powerful wizards in the wizarding world? It was an impossible task, one that he was sure to fail. Maybe that was what the Dark Lord had been aiming for in the first place. He wanted Draco to fail, just as his father had. It was all repentance and revenge. There was no way out of this. Either way, he was going to be dead.

"What? No Scarface and Weasel this time?" Draco scoffed, playing it off as he usually would. He could not fail. "I'd think that neither of them would want to leave their precious mudblood alone when so many are so eager to get their hands on her." He kept his wand arm out, pointing at the witch's face.

"It's none of your business!" Hermione wasn't going to stand there and tell him exactly why she was alone. She wasn't going to explain how Harry kept waving her off and Ronald was completely clueless about her feelings. Instead, she matched his sneer with a certain fire of her own, eyes burning with defiance. Again, it was her pride that was her fault here. Hermione was not reckless. She was no irrational. But she would _not_ let Draco win this little stare down.

Then, there was the fact that she did not keep her wand pointed at him now, though his was directed menacingly at her. It was her way of silently challenging him. Hermione had not planned to engage in a battle of wills with one of her enemies when she sought refuge in the hallway, but that was how it turned out. "And I could ask you the same question, you know. Where are your _henchmen_? I thought they trailed you at all times." She hissed.

He could see her easily getting defensive after he spoke out loud to her. There was definitely a hidden story behind her own angst. Female hormones, perhaps? Of course, being around Potthead and his sidekick would probably get gruesome sometimes. Perhaps she had finally opened her eyes and figured out the kind of people she was hanging out with. He didn't really have much say against it, though, as the two of them weren't really ever on speaking terms. Of course, the only time they spoke to each other was if they were snapping insults at each other. Most of the times, it was amusing. It would be his daily amusement to play around with the Golden Trio and annoy them senseless.

He especially loved to rile up Weasley up because he would get all red in the face, similarly to the color of his hair. "My henchmen? I assume Crabbe and Goyle would be stuffing their faces like Weasel would be right now." Draco answered her a bit thoughtfully.

Hermione found herself forgetting all about Draco's abnormal little episode, his anxiety attack in the halls. It was hard to find any sympathy for someone who had always been cruel and never given her any reason to pity him. Didn't Draco get everything he wanted? Hadn't he always had things easy and made everyone else's life a living nightmare? _Maybe not…_ But Hermione quickly silenced that thought, waving away any kind emotion that tried to seep its way into her mind. Draco did not deserve it and he made it clear he thought the same of her.

But then Draco said that one word that always managed to get to her. She could pretend to be brave in the face of such torment, but being called a _mudblood_ left scars in her heart. And the more it was said, the more she started to believe it. Especially now, when everything was falling apart around her and she felt more vulnerable than usual. She was no more than a filthy mudblood. She would never be a great witch or even a real one.

Though she flinched at the use of the insult, Hermione did not say anything about it. Instead, she protested, "Don't call him that, Malfoy!" It angered her, that he would call her best friends such harsh names right in front of her. Because it was her friends' honor at stake now and not her own, Hermione pointed her wand towards him again in a very threatening manner, eyes raging. But behind that anger was something guarded, something that said she was trying very hard not to let him get to her now.

"Actually…you know? I thought I saw Weaselbee with that girl…the one whose name is two colors or something? Rose Brwn, I think…no! It was Lavender Brown. Yeah, that was her." He seemed to be playing on her insecurities now. It was one of the best methods to get to Granger. She was the bookish mudblood that had the top grades in their year. The only way to prey on her was to work and jab at the insecurities that she held in her roots.

Never could Hermione remember feeling so absolutely mortified in front of Draco Malfoy. Yes, he had said plenty of awful things to her and her best friends before, even hexed them, and Draco always knew what to say to upset her. But now that things were so complicated between her and Ron… "They were not! Ron would never do something like—" Like have a girlfriend? Hermione knew it wasn't some outrageous crime, but it truly felt like he was doing something awful. By going out with Lavender Brown, all he would do was break her heart.

Of course, feeding off of her insecurities of her friendships with her two goons was a practical way. So, that was exactly what he did. She would surely understand his methods."I believe he was chumming up with her. I'm pretty sure that she was trying to sneak a snog in." He continued, exaggerating the scene he had seen on his way out of the Great Hall.

"I – I don't care what he does with Lavender!" This was a flat out lie. Hopefully Draco didn't realize that. "He can snog whoever he wants. It's none of my business and it certainly isn't any of yours." She snapped. At this point, Hermione was talking with her hands a lot, waving her wand around carelessly as if she forgot she was even holding it.

Of course, everyone knew of the tension between Granger and Weasley. It was gossip that spread among the sixth years especially. Granger and Weasley were supposed to be together, but the red headed moron was too dimwitted and oblivious as to what Granger felt for him. But then, some said that it was the other way around and Granger was the oblivious one. He knew that that didn't make any sense, though. Granger was the smartest in their year, and she would not miss that important fact. So, there was something else that was stopping both of them. Draco could see even now as he looked at her face what his words did to her. "Or is it a relationship with Potter that you're looking for? Nobody can really keep track these days." He sighed dramatically, lowering his wand arm and carelessly waving it around in boredom.

"Harry?" Hermione almost choked on the word, an incredulous look entering her eyes. It wasn't like she hadn't thought about the possibility of being with Harry. He was kind and treated like an equal on most occasions, but they were no more than friends. In fact, Hermione considered him to be her brother. "You have to be kidding me." But what if he wasn't kidding? What if that was really what people thought of her?

His methods were working, to say the least. Hermione was in a very delicate state at the time, so it was easy to get to her through her emotions. She knew exactly what he was doing, but she was still powerless to stop it. That was the problem with being both intelligent and emotionally unstable. You knew what kind of mess you were getting into, but you could never help yourself.

No. Hermione couldn't let Draco get in her head.

"Well, by the way that you are acting now, I can certainly tell that you're telling the truth." Draco nodded his head as the sarcastic words left his mouth. Never had he been more depressed about messing around with Granger and her lackeys. It didn't really make any sense to him.

Clinging to her pride, she mumbled, "I am telling the truth." Though the words were barely loud enough to be heard and carried no real weight. Hermione hated how Draco managed to get under her skin like that; how he always knew what words would be daggers to her heart. As soon as she was by herself, Hermione knew she would be in tears. Because she was nothing more than a mudblood. Because You Know Who was going to kill everyone she loved. Because her best friend rejected her help. Because Ron Weasley was clueless. Because Lavender Brown existed.

And then the next day she would get hurt all over again and pretend everything was fine when she looked into Ron's eyes.

_No_. There was a tiny voice in the back of her mind that kept protesting all of this. _Stop being so negative, Hermione. You're better than this. You're going to back to your room and study and forget about all of this. You are not going to go cry in the bathroom like a pathetic little girl. The time for that is over._ Why was it that her head and her heart always argued like this? Hermione knew she needed to be rational, that there were other things to focus on. She wasn't just going to go have some pity party every time something bad happened! No, Hermione was just going to work harder, dive into her books and ignore all the nonsense...right?

Hermione opened and closed her mouth several times, trying desperately to think of some sort of comeback. What was she supposed to say to that, though? That she only reacted that way because Ron was her friend? That she just didn't like Lavender? Those were all just excuses and as much as she wanted to defend herself to Draco, she knew there was no point.

It was hard not to be insecure around Malfoy, though. "They're better people than you could ever dream of being. And if you ever touch either of them, I swear I'll do worse." While Hermione had been talking to Luna, the blonde girl had mentioned something about a broken nose. Hermione was not foolish enough to think it was a natural occurrence…

At least, this way, she never had to find out what was going on with him. She may have seen him at a moment of weakness, but it wouldn't happen again. He would make sure of it. And if she ever did come up to him again, a good threat would work. Maybe, he could even cast an Obliviate spell on her and wipe her memories of such interactions with him. He could even do it now. But it wasn't worth the trouble. He knew that she would figure it all out or even stop him before he would be able to cast the spell. She was smart enough to do it.

"Relax, Granger. It's not like I care that much about your lives. And I assure you, that there is _nothing_ you can do, that I can't do ten times worse." Draco nearly spat the last words out, sweeping his arm down to snatch up his cloak off of the floor.

Taking a few deep breaths to calm herself and get her expression under control, Hermione tried to be strong and fierce once more. She didn't want Draco of all people to think her weak. Even as her mind grew less cloudy with emotions, she couldn't take the time to think before she responded to him.

"I'm sure you have lots of things to worry about now besides _our_ lives." Her voice sounded calmer than she felt, and for the she was grateful. It wasn't until after the words came out that she realized their meaning. Hermione was testing Draco, implying that perhaps he had more devious endeavors going on. But she didn't really believe that, did she? Harry was only stressed out from recent events. But Hermione knew better than to rule anything out completely, no matter how farfetched it seemed.

He didn't know whether or not he was taking things too far or not. He didn't really care if he was messing with her or not. Why should he? She meant absolutely nothing to him. He could pretty much see it in her eyes how she was taking this nonsense he spewed out. Okay, maybe, he had seen Weasley and Brown sitting next to each other at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall right before he left, but that didn't certainly mean that they were going to be snogging next. So, he exaggerated a bit and told a little white lie to her. It didn't matter much. It wasn't like anything he said really affected anyone anyway. He knew that Granger would be thinking about what he said now, but later, she would completely forget it when she ran into Pothead and Weasel.

Presently, she narrowed her eyes at Draco Malfoy, wondering if suspicion shone in her expression. But this was just part of the nonsense. Why, for one moment, would Hermione believe that Draco was a Death Eater? It just didn't wasn't logical! Hermione knew, however, that she would give Harry the benefit of the doubt. She wouldn't right him off as wrong just yet… Though she openly doubted him. She actually considered following Draco herself just so she could put her dark haired friend's worries to rest…

Why were things different now? He didn't understand truly, but he knew the basics of why things in his life were changing. While others were quite oblivious as to what was happening outside of the walls of Hogwarts, he knew exactly what was happening. He was in the center of everything and there was absolutely no way out of it. His mother was in a danger and so would his father whenever the Dark Lord chose to free him from Azkaban. Things would only get worse. Maybe that was why he continued to speak with Granger. He needed the normalcy of torturing Granger in a way that didn't harm her. He didn't want her to be harmed, but he wanted things to be the same as they were back before this summer came. But he couldn't let her know what was really happening in her own life.

He was happy that he could see the ignorance on her face as to what he was doing here on his own. She wouldn't know. And hopefully that ignorance would lead her back to the Gryffindor common room, or the library. He didn't want her to follow him when he left the area. It would be terrible for him and for her if his position in the Room of the Requirement were to be found out. His expression tightened a bit as his grey eyes narrowed down at her at her last comment. She was treading on thin ground now. He could feel a hidden meaning behind her words, but wouldn't let her unhinge him just because of a few measly assumptions.

"Yeah, maybe I do." He raised his shoulders a bit, shrugging slightly as his stern, cold gaze pierced her. He didn't like her questions and comments. It made him think that she was on to him and that couldn't be good. Because he knew that the Order was of no help to him. Not unless his family was safe first. And there was nothing that could convince him that the Order had those types of abilities. His mother lived in the manor that the Dark Lord had made his Headquarters. How was she supposed to get protection from the Order without having the Dark Lord figure it all out?

He could see that she was struggling to come up with an answer. It was just as he had suspected. Granger wasn't always the snappy little girl she appeared to be. He could see that she was feeling very down about this topic in particular and he had pretty much exhausted it. He was actually getting bored now, speaking to her about the little love triangle between Weasel, Granger, and Brown. Why had he even stayed there that long anyway? He didn't really want to be around her anymore. It only made him think further back to what he hadn't wanted to remember. A task that would surely end in failure. He couldn't think of it.

But this subject she waved away after a moment, though she would not totally let it go until Harry would. "You know, a Muggle poet once said, 'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned'." And if Draco would take it upon himself to break someone's nose ever again, she would feel a little more than _scorned_. Hermione glared at him as he acted so carelessly about it, being the bane of her existence one moment and acted as if she wasn't worth his time the next.

"If you couldn't care less about us, then why don't you leave us alone, Malfoy? How can anyone be so cruel as to harm those who've done nothing to them?" There was disbelief coloring her tone. It was hard for Hermione to understand some of these things, for she had not been raised like many of the Slytherin children had. After all, it was not a healthy man who tortured others, but rather one who was tortured himself.

Hermione was beyond upset with this whole scenario, how she had came out here to be alone and then found herself being insulted by a her nemesis. She couldn't help herself, really. For when he reached for his robes, Hermione flourished her wand, muttering, "_Multicorfors._" And his Hogwarts uniform turned bright pink. Hermione smirked at him. "In case you were starting to miss Dolores." Considering Draco and his _henchmen_ had practically been her lapdogs, always trying to spy on Dumbledore's Army.

He was pocketing his own wand, ready to stalk off and away from Granger. He wouldn't be able to head straight over to the Room of Requirement because Granger was sure to follow him. He would have to find a new route in which he would lose his tail and find his way back to his destination. But, of course, something always had to interrupt him.

His eyes widened to the size of saucers, finding the pink on his clothing unbelievably bright. It burned his eyes and he felt completely exposed in the darkness. His actions were not thought out at all and he had absolutely no control over his limbs as he grabbed her by the collar of her cloak and shirt, pushing her steadily back against the corridor wall. Draco was breathing a bit harder, pushing her against the wall with anger.

"Turn it back, now, Granger." He growled at her, his signature sneer rising to his lips again as he locked her in position against the wall.

Hermione's eyes then grew wide as Draco whirled on her. Before she could even think to react, he had her against the wall, holding her by the collar of her uniform. She gasped as she made contact with the hard stone of the castle and her wand clattered to the ground. It shocked her, to say the least. To be honest, it terrified her for a moment, the way Draco acted without thought or remorse.

Hermione wasn't Harry or Ron. She couldn't really handle her own in a simple physical confrontation. Usually she never had to worry about such things, as her friends were always by her side and her wand was always in her hand. She found herself wishing she had at least one of those things now.

"Get off me!" She tried to shove him away to no avail, even placing her hand over his to try and tear it away. He kept pressing her farther and farther into the wall and Hermione felt pain in her collarbone where his fist pressed into her. No doubt it would be bruised later. She thrashed around as much as she could, though he had her in a position where little movement could be accomplished, desperately trying to break free. Draco had never physically harmed her, aside from cases where magic was involved. She didn't know what to make of it.

And then, Hermione ushered a quick slap across his face.

_What would father think of you? Pathetic!_ His mind berated himself as he mulled over his own father's thoughts about his situation. Surely, his father hadn't wanted this dilemma to fall upon his family? Surely, he was a good enough father to realize that serving the Dark Lord would not benefit their family? But if the Dark Lord were to win, they would be spared. It was the only good point he could think of in all this time.

What else was there that was good about it? _You'll be forever admired by all your companions. See, how they wanted to hear all about the task? They admire you…Draco. _His own voice echoed in his mind in such an evil and desperate voice, attempting to convince him in continuing forward.

No, that wasn't even a rational thought. He had to do what he needed to do to keep his family alive and that was it. Nothing more.

Hermione Granger really would be the end of him. She was the bane of his existence and he just wanted her for one minute to shut her mouth. It seemed that she was always rambling off about something. It annoyed the shit out of him. It was pretty obvious to him now that she knew _something_ about his situation. The Order wouldn't completely leave her out everything that happened in their meetings. She would have to know even the slightest bit of information. Maybe he could somehow coax her into telling him. Put her under the Imperius curse, maybe?

He didn't know what he would do. But he had to do something to stop this madness before he was sought out by the Order and finished. Maybe that was better. Being killed by the Order would hurt less than being killed by the Dark Lord. He would surely torture him first. But the Order would put him in Azkaban. Both seemed bad options. What if…what if he ran away?

He shook the thought away. It wasn't possible. He would be sought out instantly by both forces. They wouldn't be combined, but he knew that the Order would be looking for him and so would the Dark Lord's Death Eaters. If he did do that, however, what would happen to his family? They would surely be punished as well. He couldn't do it, then. He had to just continue fixing the Vanishing Cabinet and attempt to finish the task. His breathing was a bit hard and rough as he weighed his body on top of Granger's.

He was far more angered about his situation than he was of the pink. He may as well take that anger out on Granger. There wasn't much she could do about it now. His own actions had confused himself though. Granger looked like a frightened animal underneath him with her wide eyes and struggling body.

Hermione felt as if the walls around her were closing in on her as Draco kept pressing closer and closer, pressing her against the stone hard. She had never been claustrophobic but now, with his body weighing down on hers and those menacing eyes penetrating her own, Hermione could feel the room spinning. She tried her hardest not to wince as the stones on the wall dug into her back and his fists pressed into her collarbones. She wondered if they would just snap under the sheer force.

Such force was completely unexpected, for Draco had never gone this far before. Had Hermione really angered him so much with just a simple color-changing spell? Or was there something more…Hermione wondered again what had been happening before she had dropped her book, before she had alerted him of her presence. Was he really having some sort of breakdown?

She wondered how bad things would have gotten if she would have done something worse than turn his robes a different shade.

"If you're such a great wizard, fix it yourself!" Hermione said harshly after she slapped him, fear still clear in her voice, despite how she tried to conceal it with anger and hatred. Her terror only grew more unbearable when Draco was silent, a moment passing between them as his grey eyes pierced her very soul. She didn't know if he was scarier when he was angry or when he was completely calm.

Hermione's eyes fell to his bright red cheek, an injury that she had caused. Had circumstances been different, she probably would have given herself a pat on the back for such an action. Now, she felt almost…guilty? She had no reason to be. Draco was awful and he had been asking for it. But Hermione couldn't help but ask herself what was going on inside his head.

He couldn't even comprehend anything as he felt the sharp sting across his cheek with the resounding noise echoing in the corridor. He said nothing as he turned his face back towards her. His left cheek was stained bright red as his blood pooled close to the skin and heat brushed the surface. His dark eyes glared at her as he roughly released her, pushing her back as he gathered himself again.

"You'll get what's coming towards you, Granger."He muttered to her as a dark look passed across his face. "Don't say I didn't warn you." Draco cast her one long look, his eyes unwavering as he scanned her face and shriveled up body. A stiff wave of his own wand allowed the lasting bright colors to fade away into its normal dark, black shades with the mutter of the counter spell. With one last breath, he turned in the other direction of the corridor, stalking off.

When he released her, she stumbled, as he had practically been holding her up a moment ago. Hermione's hand went up to absent-mindedly rub her collarbone. She winced at the ache there, though her eyes never left Draco Malfoy. Hermione was still too stunned to form a coherent thought, and his next words didn't help. She felt as if he had painted some sort of target on her back, like she had joined some sort of hit list of his. What was he talking about? Those words the instilled fear into her heart… What did they mean? Hermione watched him hurry away from him, shock still clear in her expression. She stayed that way for a few more moments, unable to even move a muscle.

What if…Harry was right?

That was ridiculous! But for a moment, she debated on whether or not she should follow Draco. In the end, Hermione was far too upset for a wild goose chase. The fear and astonishment and anger still lingered, and Hermione could feel her eyes sting with the threat of tears. She focused on her anger for a minute to keep them at bay.

And then, wanting to get far away from this place, to rejoin the noise and distractions that Hogwarts could supply, Hermione grabbed her book and wand and rushed back to the Great Hall with the intention of finding Ginny or Neville or Luna or…Anyone! Anyone who could provide distraction from her thoughts, for she didn't trust her mind in silence.

Okay… Perhaps not anyone. For it seemed the only people left out of their little group were Lavender and Ron. Hermione had already reached the edge of the table before she realized that, as she was too absorbed with her thoughts. No doubt her expression was indescribable and it would be suspicious the way she kept her hand at her collarbone. But those thoughts didn't even cross her mind. "Oh, um, hello?"

**So, I guess I can leave with read and review? Please? I love every one of you that reads this! PM me if you want to know more, or if you have any ideas for titles. I really would feel so much better if people read and review this more. Thanks, guys!**


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